Futures
by The 483
Summary: Sora, aspiring fashion student needs a job, when she leans a club is hiring.  Will she find more than just a way to pay for College and Rent?  I don't know, why are you asking me? I am probably going to swear quite a bit, but nothing really disagreeable.
1. Chapter 1

Futures

**While at work, my brain is literally atrophying, when it isn't attempting to drive me crazy. But, out of the haze of sanity challenging bullshit the is careening around in this place, every once in a while, it give me something I can use. This is one of those half baked, jury-rigged affairs.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of the other crap I thoughtlessly reference here. (Except I do own Casey Chambers and Alexander Vinn. (Just saying))

**Always…**

The Southern California summer sun beat heavily on the fade green roof of the dusty Landrover. Behind the wheel, the pretty woman with the vibrant orange hair adjusted the sun visor, providing more shade over her smooth face. The mid day traffic was at a stand still, another asshole to preoccupied with their phone to pay attention to the road causing the imfamous 91 Freeway to be backed up for miles. She sighed and began to fiddle with radio dials when the new single from D.R.U.G.S. slammed into her speakers. The noise triggered the memory of the events that led her to this hellish road.

Sora examined herself in the cracked mirror of her crummy little apartment. Having just steeped out of the shower, she was clothed in just a fluffy white towel. Sh still maintained her trimmed, well muscled build, but her body a long since lost it's angles, and was padded in just the right places with the healthy fat that makes all girls pleasant. Her wet hair hung to her shoulders, but it's natural 'boingy-ness' would lift it about an inch when it dried. Finally her eyes rested on them selves, resting on light purple furrows from the long hours of school, and until recently, her job. She walked out of the bathroom, grabbing another towel for her hair, sighing.

"What a mess." She commented to herself. She was just a few months into her 28th year on the ball of dirt know as the Earth, and already it didn't seem like it was going to be any better than her last. She had been in the States for just over 3 years now, and it wasn't easy. She had been dateing Matt for a while after High School, but, dispite best intentions and effort on both of their parts, it just… fizzled, she would say. Make no mistake, the did love each other, but in the same way they loved the other members of their group. Romantically however, things just didn't click. So, as Matt's group picked started landing some big tours, they decided to part ways as a couple, remaining in contact, and as close as ever. She thought he was in Australia, or somewhere along those lines, but she couldn't remember specifically. After that, she moved around Japan, trying to find a takeoff point with her arrangements, and taking some college courses, but it just wasn't working. During these months, she began to get lonely, as many of her friends began to move on, looking to further their own goals.

Mimi hit L.A., looking for the stars, and was working her way up, doing bit parts on sitcoms, and was branching out into voice acting as well.

Joe moved out to Brittan, did some medical training, and was currently working as a Surgeon at Bethesda Institute if memory served.

Izzy went straight to Silicon Valley, and was now considered one of the leading people in the field of robotics, specifically the creation and fabrication of Medical equipment and Powered Prosthetics.

A pang struck her stomach as her mind hit the last one. Tai had moved west with Kari and Davis After they married, and was, according to the sales data provided publicly by Amazon, a fairly popular Author. His biggest hits were a series of slightly exaggerated tales of their own adventures in the Digital World. Thought that could be because people will buy ANYTHING with the little "Based on a true story" tag added. She had never read the books herself, not really wanting to subject herself to see what he would write where she was concerned. She still remembered the last time she saw him, a few days before he left for America, and what he had said to her.

"Well, if you ever find yourself Stateside, look us up, your family, and our house is ours." He looked at the ground, and Kari and Davis repeated agreement. "Anyway, you know if you ever need anything, you can call me anytime, Always.

It was about a year later she found out that what she liked about the flower arranging wasn't the flowers, but the design. She looked around, and found a true interest in clothing. She worked up a nest egg, and moved out to California to study Fasion. It was here, now, in her current Jobless position, she had remembered that last conversation, and placed a call. She got the machine and left a message, asking if he knew of anything that was hiring, as she knew he had settled somewhere around the L.A. area as well. That had been two days ago.

She Sighed again, and sat down on the chair she pulled over from the table to the stand where her laptop sat when she used it as a computer. She grunted in disgust as the latest headlines streamed across her browser. Fighting in Egypt and more crap on how that atrocity known as "lady gaga" had attended the Grammies as a living abortion. She clicked it off before it made her sick, and was just checking the latest happenings on her facebook, hoping for a lead when her phone went off, making her jump.

"If you had a sex life, a sex life, would you even worry about mine, when you bed is empty. If you had a sex life, a sex life, would you even worry about mine? When you bed is empty, you're a waste of time." Craig Owens voice roared out in all it's slightly high pitched melodious, rage-full splendor, as she snatched it up and scanned the "Unknown Number" Id. _Great, mabye it's one of the applications I submitted, calling me about an interview!_ She though, growing excited.

"Hello?" She said, sweetly.

"Sora?" The voice made her heart jump a little.

"Um… Yeah?"

"Hey, it's uh… Tai, Sorry it took so long to get back to you, busy week." She was pleased to hear from him.

"Oh, it isn't a problem, it was nothing important, just checking in, you know?" She gave the impression of a shrug in her voice.

"Aww, well, I always welcome a call from you, as infrequent as I get to hear what's going on. Anyway, I have to be brief, but you said you were looking for a job?"

"Yes, my last job got fed up with my difficult hours." She said, her heart racing a little faster.

"Well, their loss. O.k., got a pen handy? I know of a place hiring, it's a little club in Torrance, and they are looking to fill a couple of positions. Nothing shady, it's a club/restaurant/music stage thing, food, live bands, all of that stuff." She smiled at his nervous tone.

"A Gentlemen's Club?" She could here the look on his face.

"What! Oh, no, not at all, but if your hurting, it's a nice place, called _The Silver Note_.

"Oh, I know of that place, saw a show or two there, pretty nice." She didn't dislike the thought of working at a club like that, even the bathrooms were kept clean and neat.

"O.k., good, go in today, and ask for Casey, The day Manager, and tell her your looking for a job. Know where it is… Good, Nice to talk to you but got to go, bye!" He waited for here to return the terminator, and then hung up. She was very happy, both at the prospect of employment, and from her best friend getting back to her. She got up, closed the computer, and went to put on some nice cloths.

She got to the Club 45 minutes later than she planned, the 91 performing it's magic trick of taking a half hour drive and turning it into a 2 hour one. She locked her vehicle, and walked up, to the front door, it's polished metal handle blinding in the setting suns light. As she opened it, cool air poured out, and she looked around. The podium that barred the door in the evening was propped of to the end of the food bar against the front wall. Against the wall behind it were s series of heavy lockers with padlocks on them. Against the left wall was the drinks bar, its multi-colored bottles twinkling friendlily from the indirect lighting. The right wall was dominated by a chest high stage and guar rail, and the space between covered in a loose grouping of wheeled tables and chairs, some containing eating people. At the cash register on the "drinks" bar was a black haired woman messing with a little internet computer, a earpiece in her left ear. As Sora approached, the woman spoke, without looking up.

"Food 'r liquor?" She asked in a sharp Contralto. Sora was almost taken aback, but close the distance to the bar.

"Neither, actually, I was hoping to inquire about employment opportunities? I was told to ask for Casey?" At this the woman stood up and looked up.

She was strikingly beautiful, with her flowing black shoulderlenth hair, even features, small nose, and expressive green eyes. A sigle clump of bangs hung to the outside of her right eye and over her black framed glasses, and made her seem younger than she was. She had a slight build, but her skin tight jeans drew out any curves. She wore a simple gray T-Shirt, the Rise Against Fist splashed diagonally across the front of her modest bust and slightly wide shoulders. The overall effect was stunning.

"Nice Shirt." Sora said, being familiar with the bands logo. The woman looked impressed.

"Thank you…" She let it hang open until Sora filled it with her name. "….Sora. It's nice to see someone with a decent taste come in here for a change. You just met Casey, what can I do ya for?" She set both hands on the counter and leaned forward.

"well, I was told you were hiring and wondered what positions you had?" She seemed to think for a moment.

"When are you available?" Sora gave a quick account of her class times. She considered it.

"Alright, Sora, I need a hostess at the doors, 6 to 10 or 11 week nights, and special event weekends, or whenever you want to pick up shifts. Basic benefits after a 3 months or 400 hours of regular time, whichever comes first. Used to the College kids so special scheduling can be requested for Test or projects, or other junk like that. A 10 at 3 hours, a half a 5, and a free meal with the half, fountain drinks unlimited. Starting pay at 10 dollars an hour, with period and performance raises, and occasionally if I get bored. Sound good?" She cocked an Eyebrow and Sora was shocked at how good the terms were.

"uh… yeah, that sounds amazing."

"Good," Casey stood up and held out her hand, shaking Sora's. "Welcome to the club. Can you show up around 4 tomorrow, get some training in?" Sora agreed she could. "Alright, see you tomorrow. Sora walked out in a slight daze, amazed at her good fortune, and dialed up Tai to thank him for the tip. She got the machine, and told him to call her later, the smile audible in her voice.

**1 in the morning, work at 10, gonna make in in parts, let me know how bad you hate it, thanks. (I fell good now, so even if you don't read it, thank you for allowing me to vent a little.) P.S. Bugger to you too, Sir.**


	2. Chapter 2

Futures

**Alright, number three. I start these immediately after submitting the previous, So I will update here as reviews/complaints/threats/cease and desists trickle in while I am working. Expect lots of Character interaction on this one.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of the other crap I thoughtlessly reference here. (Except I do own Casey Chambers and Alexander Vinn. (Just saying))

**#2 Quality Time.**

It had been a whirlwind time for Sora. She had taken rather smoothly to the job, and was now able to behave as if she had always been there. In another week, she would take the exam for her liquor license, and would be able to work the bar as well. After the first week, she had started to get bounced around to the other stations, and had done a little of everything except serving drinks. Vinn had even let her toy around in the control room when it wasn't crowded. She had also found herself taking extra shifts on the weekends, simply because she enjoyed hanging around.

It was during one of these extra shifts that she saw why Casey was listed as one to call if a customer got…unruly. This big guy, maybe a few inches shorter than John, was literally blowing up at Sora because he had been flagged for fighting and banned. She was nearly in tears when Casey walked calmly up.

"Excuse me," she didn't seem to raise her voice, but it was clearly heard by all gathered, "but you have to leave." She was calm, but her voice was full of frost. He continued his rant, but now directed toward the smaller girl. She waited a few seconds, and then elaborated. "You may either leave voluntarily, or I will remove you." He laughed in her face, and she reiterated.

"Try it, Bit-" He went to move forward, and was cut off by a loud cracking noise. Casey hardly seemed to have moved, but she was shaking off her hands, it being in pain from the sudden contact with the man's face. She then proceeded to remove him, without assistance, though he was clearly more than twice her weight.

All in all, she had learned allot, and had fun over the two months she had worked there.

It was Saturday, and she had opted to work a day shift, breakfast and lunch, and was due off about now. She finished wiping down the unoccupied tables, and tossed the rag over the counter and into the bucket of cleaner. She then walked behind the bar, and took another look around. The door to the kitchen flopped open, and Casey walked out, folding an apron and tucking it under the register as she punched out. She looked over at Sora, leaning on the counter.

"Hey," she said, "aren't you off too?" Sora nodded and Said something about waiting for John before leaving. "You don't have to worry about that, he's not in for another half an hour, and Deja and Javier have it under control. Anyway, what are you up to, tonight?" Her voice was casual, but there was bit of a guard in it.

"Um, I'm not doing anything, maybe watching T.V. or something like that. Why?" Casey looked slightly nervous, and began fidgeting slightly.

"Well, I was thinking, that if you weren't up to anything, if you might be interested in maybe coming over to my place and hanging out for a while?" Sora was a bit surprised by the invitation. She liked Casey, but was not sure the reciprocal applied. She seemed to treat her with the same gruff attitude and cussedness that she treated the others.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Sora decided to see what Casey's plans were, or if this was simply a friendly jest. As she spoke, she actually seemed to be blushing slightly, and getting more nervous.

"Oh, nothing to solid, maybe crack open some wine, watch some DVD's, grouse about this that or the other. You know, girl stuff?" The last was voiced as a question, though presented as a statement. She added on, "and if we drank, and you welcome to crash, I have plenty of room." Sora heard something in the last, she wasn't sure what, but it made her sad inside. She decided to accept.

"Sure, sounds good, should I bring anything special?" She asked, with a cheery smile. Casey looked pleased, worried, and relieved all at the same time.

"Umm, not that I can think of, unless you have any bed kit you can't live without." She pulled out a piece of paper she had folded in her pocket, and handed it to Sora. "Here is my address, see you in about an hour? Ok, bye!" She smiled, and quickly left. Vinn took that moment to walk up, hands on his hips, left eyebrow arched quizzically.

"Well well well, passing notes in class I see? I have half a mind to make you stay after and write things on the board multiple… ah, never mind. What is that that just transpired?" He asked, hopping and planting his rear on the counter. Sora smiled and showed him the note after pushing him of the bar top.

"Slumber party." She said plainly.

"OH HO!" He retorted, both eyebrows climbing in the sky. "Now that is something." He grabbed the note. "Ha, I think she was a bit nervous." He said after glancing at it.

"Why do you say that?" Sora eyed him curiously.

"Because," He gave her a look that said it was obvious, but in less polite terms, "she didn't pull a scrap piece of paper out and write her address down. This is a piece of copy paper she took from the office, and it was already written when she pulled it out. She's been planning this one for a while." He shook his head with a wry smile. "They're so cute sometimes." Sora faked a look or bemused shock.

"Since when did you start noticing that?" He turned to face her

"Madam, simply because one is not attracted, doesn't mean one doesn't notice. Just be nice to her, she doesn't have a lot of outside friends." He said, switching to serious, before heading back to his booth, leaving Sora puzzled.

Sora pulled up to the address given to her 45 minutes later, having run home to her own apartment to pick up some bed cloths, her favorite pillow, a spare blanket, and her laptop. The cloth articles all went in a duffle bag, and she carried the laptop separate. The place listed was a single rented house, almost a condo, on a nice block. She walked up to the front door, a nice dark brown with no glass inserts, placed her bag on the ground, and knocked. Casey answered the door promptly, and was wearing a simple white tank top and pair of black jeans and black framed reading glasses. The addition of the glasses took her from shockingly beautiful to reserved and dignified. She smiled as she grabbed Sora's bag and ushered her inside. The interior of the house was very… Spartan, Sora decided, not under furnished, but plain. Not a lot of decoration, mostly plain, blockish color. It lacked flair, but had a lived in look. Sora followed her down a plain hallway to the guest bedroom, and left her to unpack here duffle and returned to her work in the kitchen.

An hour latter both girls were sprawled out on the couch in their night cloths (T-shirts and pajama bottoms) the T.V. on a music station as they talked over Coffee. Sora started the topic.

"So, what's a girl like you doing working at a place like the _Note_?" She asked, looking over. Casey was laying on her back, and threw her hand over her face.

"Well, I was just coming back from my second tour, and I meet this guy on the plane." Sora interrupted.

"You're a musician?" She asked.

"…What? Oh, no, course not, I'm a Marine." It took her a few seconds to understand the question, and Sora was still slipping gear herself.

"… Like a Biologist or something?"

"Oh, sorry, I forget you're from somewhere not here. No I am a Soldier." Casey had worried over this point, whit the dim view her own born countrymen often took with this career choice, she had no reason to think that someone from another land would have a positive outlook on it.

"Hmm well, that's… er, cool?" She said, making it a question, and thankfully Casey was able to pick up exactly where the question was applicable.

"Yes," she said mildly, "it was pretty good, and I got a couple years of college out of it to boot." Her voice trailed off slightly as a few highlights played thought her head. She cleared the thoughts, and returned to her point. " So anyway, I'm heading back, and I get on a flight from Germany, and I get a seat next to the guy. Very Nice, said he was headed back to the states himself, something about business. We get to talking, and after a while, he asks if I have a job lined up. Not really, I say, and he flat offered me the position at the club, allowances for disability and all." Casey told, moving her hands to the flat of her stomach.

"You have a disability?" Sora asked, concerned that she could miss it.

"Oh, no, but I was banged up pretty bad. I had to take a medical discharge. Here, look." Casey sat up, her left side toward Sora, and pulled her shirt off over her head. What Sora saw caused her to draw her hand to her mouth and gasp. The entire side of her body, from waist line to underarm was a carpet mass of crisscrossing scar tissue broken only buy the black straps of her bra. He shoulder also bore the long white ribbons of deep scarring. "Yeah," she sighed, "not pretty, is it. Out on patrol, out humvee drove over an IED the EOD teams missed in their sweep. Detonated right under the Sanchez." She sighed deeper. "Vicente lost his eyes too, but, I was lucky. The vest caught the little shrapnel, and most of the flammable too, but enough still got though in the holes punched by the bigger stuff." She put her shirt back on, and sighed again. "I'm still amazed they managed to save the arm, and that it works." She twisted her arm through a full rotation. "but that's enough about me. What brought you here?" She crossed her legs and spun on her butt until she faced Sora.

"Well," Sora started, staring into space as she thought back. "when I was younger, me and a group of friends had a grand adventure with some giant monsters, and ended up saving all of Japan." Sora looked over to see what Casey would think of that. She stared blankly for a moment before replying.

"Nice! Here I thought that was just a exaggerated stereotype. Hmm, learn something new everyday, eh?" She smiled with good humor, and Sora decided to go whole hog.

"Ok, have you heard of the book called "Digital Monsters: The Adventure Begins?"

"What, are you kidding?" Casey asked incredulously. "That's the first book in the "Digimon" Saga." Sora smiled slightly.

"So you're pretty familiar with it?"

"If by pretty familiar, you mean own all 4 of the current novels, and reread them at a steady clip."

"Ok, well, I'm Sara." Sora stated it in an almost sigh.

"Wait, Sara? Crap, I thought you said Sora, like the Kingdom Hearts guy. I've been pronouncing it wrong this whole time, why didn't you say something?"

"Wait, what? OH! No, the character in the book, Sara, that's me. All the stuff in the book, that all really happened to me and 7 of my friends." Sora said. Casey looked at her queerly for a minute or so. She then started asking questions in a quietly suspicious voice.

"So, your saying that you got sucked into a Tron-esqe computer world in a freak snowstorm, where you bonded with monsters and fought _evil_ monsters to save both worlds?" Sora nodded, worried at this reaction. Casey features shifted to a look of mollification. "And I thought a story had to be complete B.S. to get the "Based On A True Story," label anymore." Casey rubbed her chin, thinking this over, before nodding. "Alright, I'll buy it. But you said seven of your friends… Holy Balls!" Sora jumped a little bit as Casey thundered. "That means that you know who the 8th DigiDestined is! You have to tell me, the cliffhanger in the last book pissed me off so bad I almost screamed!"

(*)

It had taken nearly an hour of calm insistence from Sora to get Casey off the subject of her escapades within the digital world. She refused to reveal any spoilers, and now the conversation had meandered to some… strange places.

"…And that, is why Brock Samson is the most bad assed person since Teddy Roosevelt stalked the land, killing immortals." Casey finished, with Sora nodding, conceding the point. "Besides, Chuck Norris Sued the guy who started that whole "facts" thing that brought his name back into everyday use. He loses points for dickitry." She hiccuped, a side effect of the wine both girls had been consuming at a steady clip as a lubricant for their comfort. Sora thought it was cute the way Casey called it "a Prescription from Doctor Harshaw.

Sora leaned back against the couch, hand over her stomach, the other bringing the thin wine glass up for anther sip.

"'ight, s'my turn." She said, hoisting herself up slightly. "Whose that guy that's always coming' into the club to see you? You got yourself a boyfriend, or a stalker?" Casey seemed genuinely surprised by this, and righted herself as well.

"What? You mean Jake? Well, he's just a friend." Sora pressed the issue.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Really_?_"

"Yes."

"_Really?_"

"YES!"

"_REALLY?_"

"Ye… well, it's complicated."

"complicated spelled S-E-X, or complicated as in a long story?" Sora queried with a raised eyebrow. Casey brought her gaze to the floor.

"Option B."

"Ok, then, Spill it Girly, you made me spell out my situation, and to quote Anthony Hopkins, "Quid Pro Quo."" Casey Heaved a deep sigh before she started.

"In short… I guess he's just the guy that's always been there. When everybody else was gone, he was still there, every time.

**End**


	3. Chapter 3

**Digimon: Futures**

_**I Do Not own the Rights to Digimon, and long odds on me owning 'em to anything else you may recognize.**_

**#3: Casey**

"You see, he's pretty much the only consistent thing I have ever really had." Casey began, in tones that suggested she was back in her own mind, digging through the dusty boxes long buried. She had her back to Sora, slotting the first disc of the first season of "How I Met Your Mother" into the player. After turning, she caught the raised eyebrow, and shrugged before continuing. "He's a few years older then me, as he was a Junior when I entered High School. Essentially, he got his heart stuck on me, and for the next four years, he went about trying to make me care. I was not with the greatest of people, and spurned not only his advances, but his very existence where I could for almost two whole years. But we were both involved in on of the extracurricular activities, one of the heavy duty ones where you are required to devote lots of hours together despite personal preferences. Well, familiarity not only breeds contempt, but also the ability to tolerate, and we just grew together until we both could see clearly that we were friends, though it felt like we'd been at that point all along. No starting point or spoken agreement, it just was. Well, tack another year on and he graduated, and to me, he was little more to me then a guy I knew who was good for getting things and that I could yell at when I was pissed about anything.

I think he's a bit of a masochist, as no matter what I threw at him, eventually he would shrug it off and he would wind up more dedicated then ever. Well, in Senior year, a lot of…well, shit went down, just part of growing up, friends changing, leaving, stabing you in the back. Long story short, I heaped a lot of abuse on him, but he weathered it, and it seems like most of that year it was just me and him, sitting in my room, or yard, just sitting around, me bitching about everything, him never complain or getting anything out of it. I never, at that time, realized he was my best, in all senses of the word, friend.

Then, I was about a year later, because eit was about a year before I shipped out, that little bastard told me the worst damn thing he could have possibly said." Sora handed her another glass of wine and sat back down.

"What was that?" she asked, hugging up one leg, leaning forward.

"Oh, I can't just tell you, I have to set it up a little.

We are in my back yard, sitting in the dark, I'm drinking some kind of beverage with alcohol in it (my mom was cool with it). We're watching the stars talking about god knows what, but just the usual airy stuff, and he looks over after I finish, and says:

"Catherine (he always, to this day, calls me Catherine, never Casey or anything) I love you. He even choked up a bit, and really struggled to get that damned 4 letter word out." Sora had gasped.

"Oh my god, what did you do." Sora loved this kind of story, and could only imagine what Casey might have said.

"I did what any reasonable girl would have done in my situation. I said "Oh, Okay." And changed the subject. After he left I didn't talk to him again. Didn't answer the calls, never called back, no contact at all." Sora looked horrified, and Casey held up her hands, as if to ward of the judgment. "picture it, I am a 19 year old newly graduate, who just discovered a few years back the joys of sex, and here, a friend, who I had, in all the years I had known him, never once given any indication that we would ever be a "we", in fact, I went out of my way to not let him get any hopes for that. I didn't want Love, I wanted sex, passion, flings, and not from him. But we had had long, multiple day long discussion on Love, so I had a ittle glimmering in what it meant to him.

Looking back on it now that I know more about how he uses Love, I know that it also scared the living hell out of me, though I didn't know at the time. So I ignored him, and apparently he stewed over until it reached a boil. One day, three months later, I open my Myspace, and there I find this scathing, page long letter with the semantic content saying: "do you really want to throw all of what we had away on something that doesn't really have any impact on me at all?" So, we talked a little by message, and then I agreed to let him come over to talk one night. He ripped me a new hole or two yelling and more pissed off than I had ever seen him before.

"I don't know what the hell your problem was! I don't know what _you_ think Love is, but that is the beauty of it, because it doesn't fucking matter. I can mean whatever the hell you _want_ it to mean, just like the Bible, but me? I know what it means, and I will stand by it weather you fucking like it or not! Whatever it means to you doesn't matter, doesn't change our relationship at all! I told you, because, for one, I figured you knew, and because you never once, even year ago when you were nothing more than a pretty bitch who though I wasn't worth her time, you never once took advantage when you knew full well you could." "it went on like that for about an hour, and it was sobering to hear that much…emotion from him. So, I called him the next day, we saw a movie, and it was like nothing ever happened, then, eventually, I joined the Marines, and was shipped out of the country. I had had a boyfriend then, but by the my second tour, Jake was the only one still writing me, and it was nice, just knowing somebody missed me.

Then the bomb went off, and next I knew I was waking up in the hospital. And he was there; first thing I saw when I woke up in extreme pain, in Germany. First thing he said, and probably what kept me from severe depression, was: "Don't worry, I just heard there were going to be some sponge baths, and so I took up volunteerism." He got me to giggle, and somehow that got me through the surgery, physical therapy, and crushing medical bills

…And, there we are, back in the states, and still good friends." The look on Sora's face told her that she had not been satisfied by the end of the story. But there really was nothing more to tell.

"What…WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" Sora roared, the wine getting the better of her. "When did you tell him you Love him, when did you start dating…. WHAT?" Casey's silence and averted gaze told her that was not none of this had been accomplished. "You mean he flew to Germany to see you in the Hospital, and… nothing?" She closed her eyes, grabbed her temples, and shook her head in disbelief. "So,… what are you going to do?"

"Oh no, that's enough about me, what is your story. You wouldn't be hitting this so hard if you didn't have some back story with this." Casey gave her the eyebrow, and Sora looked away and busied herself with the wine. "Come on, you made m.e share my story, you have to spill yours."

"Damn it. Alright…" So Sora finished her glass of wine, settled back, and gave Casey the breakdown on her past with Tai.

"Wow…that is… hmm… damn." Casey stared vacantly at the walls while Sora hugged her knees to her chest, and nodding.

"Yeah, it's almost like we each have one of those big budget romantic comedy movie that hit the theaters." She said.

"Well, when it's spelled out like that, it does sound like that. But… how can you know if you love someone, bur not _love_ someone, you know?"

"What you are saying, yes, how to tell the difference…no. So now I guess the question is, are you… are _WE_ going to make a move, or sit around and let something happen to ruin what could happen?"

"One thing is for certain," Casey said, looking up and pointing at Sora, looking resolute, "I am far too drunk to for anymore of that really heavy stuff tonight, so let's calm it down a little and get back to fun topics."

The chatted happily for a short while, then curled under blankets on the couch, fell into the trouble sleep of girls who had killed three bottles of wine.


End file.
